SurfingSports Standup Paddle Surf & Standup Paddling BLOG

Santa Barbara's Team Standup Paddle Sports has been training for the "Battle of the Paddle" this weekend at Doheny Beach...we have 8 racers competing...there are a bunch of boards in development that didn't quite get finished for this race...but, we will be going for it with what we got with a little help from Starboard and Hobie...these guys and gals are committed...they are an inspiration and we consider them part of our ohana and will appreciate their efforts regardless of the results...

Labels: Santa Barbara standup paddle sports, standup paddle sports santa barbara

We messed around with a few of the new 2009 Starboard SUP's today...fresh out of the Thailand factory oven...hot and spicy...













Mark my words...the new "SuperFish" 9'8" x 28.5" and 10'5" x 30" "Drive" are going to be a smashing success...plug & play standup right out of the box...world class construction and attention to detail...Q U A L I T Y ...

A few more shots in this gallery...

Be stoked...be V E R Y stoked...{:~)

Start saving your nickels...or cash in what's left of your 201K...these new boards are going to be worth it...really kewl, well thought out features bring you extra value and bang for your buck...

We have a container on order...first of the year delivery...get on our waiting list if you want to stroke into the new year some new stoke...in the mean time, grab one of the existing models...at $1099 for the 2008 Tufskin version, full deck pad, integrated handle, and sail attachment option...this is a no-brainer...we believe that this is the best value on the planet, so we've got a container of them coming in next month...and there are still a few available right now...

2009 prices have been forced up by energy costs, raw materials, and foreign valuation of our currency...regardless, you still won't be able to get close to this level of quality for the price...



Come see, feel, and paddle the Starboard SUP product line, and we'll also have a few of the new 2009 Starboard SUP's at the Rainbow Sandals "Battle of the Paddle" event at Doheny Beach, California this weekend...
L@@K for us at the Starboard booth...

This is only the tip of Starboard's proverbial SUP iceberg...OUT!!!...er, uh, I mean PEACE OUT!!!...;-)

Labels: 2009 Starboard SUP, Santa Barbara standup paddle sports, stand up paddle boards

We just received our shipment of SUP bags...









We have them from 9' to 12' in 6" increments...and guess what?
You can actually get a (X)' board in a (X)' bag...and get it out again...easily...without tug o' war grief...;-)

Shoulder strap and side handle...inside pouch...light color...durable...
Affordably priced right (value)...dime on the dollar to protect your SUP investment...Under 11' $120...11' & over $130...

Labels: board bags, paddleboard bags, standup paddle board bags

We've just designed and built the best SUP quiver racks that we've seen...expert, quality American welding, they are mobile, rolling casters with brakes, and they also break down flat for storing and shipping...assembly time is less than five minutes...







Foam board pads should arrive today, that will finish off the bars in the pics above...

We are selling the 9 board rack for $850...6 board rack is $700 (Made in the USA) and there is already a waiting list...

We have several containers of shiny new boards on the way this month that will fill them up and then some...

Speaking of new boards...Exocet, one of our favorite sailboard companies...is introducing the first of their SUP offerings...



The Kona S.U.P. is our latest contribution to the Stand Up Paddle market, offering not only excellent gliding characteristics but also outstanding wave performance thanks to the 'step tail'.

The Kona step tail design is not just another fashion gadget, but a technical feature adding obvious advantages due to the extended water line in displacement mode, as well as the reduced wetted surface as soon as the board is on a plane.

The natural standing position is in the center of the board and due to the step tail, it remains the same even when you catch a wave and accelerate.

A unique quality making it way easier to learn paddling in the waves.

construction: Custom Made Wood/EVA

Labels: Exocet SUP, Rolling paddleboard racks, Santa Barbara standup paddle sports, sup racks

Kind of a strange occurrence the other day when we had three different clients with an Illinois connection buy standup paddle boards from us...and they all surf...while another brotha representing Illinois, (who also rides waves) debated for the highest office in the land, on the national stage...then in a few days, sista Gretchen Wilson is coming to town to entertain us on Chumash land...she is from Pocahontas (Illinois) and will sing California Girls...but, then she is Politically Uncorrect...WEIRD...;-)







Perhaps, it's partially a function of how many boards we're selling and shipping...regardless, it's interesting nonetheless...

They talk about six degrees of separation...oftentimes, it's a few less than that...



Maybe if the world leaders understood this connectivity, there would be less conflict(s)...

This image showing standup paddlers in a canoe, was discovered on the walls of a palace in Khorsabad, Iraq...dating ~ 700 BC...this area is commonly referred to as the "Cradle of Civilization"...granted, they're prolly not paddling for pure pleasure...but, who knows what turned them on...sounds like crossing the Molokai Channel on a SUP is grueling and not that pleasurable either...;-)



See how we just connected Iraq to Illinois by standup paddling?...;-)

Native Americans in Illinois, the Illini, made dugout canoes by hollowing out large trees...sometimes 50' in length...and most likely paddled them at times standing up...many native cultures around the world did...and still do...it's only natural!!!

Here's one of our Illinois connected clients, Jon Ham, showing off his new Naish 9'6" quadfin...



Jon's business is called Fitness On The Run...here are some You Tube clips of Jon...

We think he'll do alright on his new board...;-)

Speaking of new boards...and stoked standup paddlers...here's our shop grom, Tucker Ingalls, showing off his new Naish 7'11" custom...





More shots of Tucker ripping...

Labels: Illinois SUP, Naish SUP, Santa Barbara standup paddle sports

Dunno if you've stumbled across any of the big wave SUP photos trickling out of Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca Mexico lately...

Edwin Morales professional bodyboarder and XXL Billabong Monster Tube Award Photo winner, snapped this sick pit of Starboard team rider Ekolu Kalama at Playa Zicatela, aka the Mexican Pipeline...



Chuck Patterson, Hobie team rider, was captured by photog Tim Ditty, dropping into some Puerto death pits...



You can catch CP's Puerto article at SUPSURFMAG

I want to see video of the wipeouts...the Mexican Pipe is known for breaking boards and people...heaps have died here...

I used to trek down to Puerto (and environ) a couple of times a Summer to get out of the small wave Summer doldrums in Santa Barbara...and to keep tuned up for mysto Central & North Coast big wave spots...





















Had the pleasure of sk8ing and trading barrels with talented (& tormented) Dogtown skater Jay Adams...



Jay bumped into a few problemos along the way of life...but, he's trying to get it back on track...



There's always counseling available...even, in Mexico...;-)

Labels: Chuck Patterson, Ekolu Kalama, Hobie, Puerto Escondido SUP, Starboard

Over the next couple of months Starboard will be unveiling the most extensive SUP board lineup in the world...it's hard to keep the excitement in check because we've already seen, and ridden, several of the new shapes...

All I can tell you is that "YA'LL AIN'T SEEN NUTHIN YET!!!"...;-)

Here's the new 9'8" x 28.5" SUPer Fish...



Not to worry...the current shapes are staying in the lineup...for good reason, too...they are already among the leading SUP shapes on the planet...combined with the top construction, you get QUALITY and INNOVATION...

Continuous product improvement is the Starboard mantra...ours, too...
That's why we are committed to this brand, and have been for over 10 years...

We bring in containers full of Starboard standup paddle boards straight from the factory...knowing that we are getting boards that have been through rigorous QA...that adds value, to you our clients...and, you get it...thanks to you guys, they sell out in a few days...that gives us the resources and confidence to continue to provide you with state of the art boards, and stay at the leading edge of the sport...BTW, we have several more containers of boards ordered and on the way...

Starboard doesn't hold back when it comes to board development...with a rocket scientist, a host of engineers, top world champion athletes, and the best designers on the planet...in-house testing facilities...secret testing grounds scattered across the globe...nobody comes close to touching their R&D program...

Starboard has been world market leader for years in windsurfing boards, and has quickly become market leader in SUP's...

Starboard in 1995 revolutionized the surfing world by introducing epoxy wood veneer molded mini mals and longboards . The same year Starboard complimented their surf board range with the EVA shock deck technology and also produced epoxy sandwich boards, well ahead of the surf industry.

Starboard further was the first production brand to introduce carry handles in the SUP boards, full deck EVA, special diamond groove texture in the standing area and specialized kids boards. As an international market leader, Starboard introduces the widest offering in the sport. From the 7'2" Kid which enables grommets to rip, to the 14'8" Point for long distance and speed paddling.

The fish shapes in the range, the 9'0" and 9'8" Extremists and the new 10'5" Crossover, are probably the World’s most progressive shapes, and drives the cutting edge of competitive SUP.

Starboard 2009 SUP Board Development

Extensive amounts of time and energy have been spent at Starboard bouncing between the Maldives, Australia and Indonesia for testing purposes and the search for the ultimate range of SUP's.

Multiple trips to Bali, another to Sumbawa, as well as the latest one down to the edge of the world at west Java, provided a vast array of conditions to test out all the different configurations of outline Rocker volume and "V".

From Perfect right hand point breaks, to fun size beach breaks and racetrack tubes, we experienced the broadest spectrum of conditions for testing, while also having an incredible amount of fun in the process.



Ekolu Kalama was along for the ride, experiencing the decadence of the Club Med open bar in the Maldives, to the contrary of the glory box,(enough said) at a far outpost of Sumbawa.

Starboard head Honcho and mad keen SUP rider, Svein Rasmussen was also there, never wanting to miss out on an opportunity to test all the latest toys and Johnny Hibbard from the UK came down the Maldives to provide some input as well.

It's been a rapid learning process with modifications, new ideas and new trips coming about, constantly pushing the boundaries with what was not considered possible in the very recent past, to the current state of play and the evolution doesn't show any signs of slowing down soon.

The boards have been unpacked, (still wet from the last trip) in the factory to already being modified and the next ticket being booked to progress from what was learned, to provide the most up to date range of SUP's in the world.

Labels: 2009 Starboard, stand up paddle boards, standup paddle boards, Starboard SUP's